Egypt has confirmed that Mohamed Salah is set to miss two AFCON matches due to a muscle injury, in a blow to his country, and a boost for Liverpool.
- Salah injured against Ghana
- Will certainly miss the final group game
- Egypt faces Cape Verde on Monday
WHAT HAPPEN ?
Salah limped out of Egypt’s AFCON clash with Ghana, which ended in a 2-2 draw, just days after another 2-2 draw with underdogs Mozambique. Now, per The Athletic, the Egyptian Football Federation has confirmed that he will miss two games – their final group game against Cape Verde, and potentially their Round of 16 clash if they qualify
As it stands, Egypt is second in Group B, with Cape Verde having already qualified for the knockout stages with two wins from two. Ghana and Mozambique each have a point.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Salah scored in their opening matchday draw with Mozambique but limped out of the game against Ghana without being able to trouble the opposition goalkeeper. Without him, Egypt did score twice, but one has to think that his absence would be a major blow, although it will undoubtedly be a major boost for Liverpool.
DID YOU KNOW?
Salah has a remarkable record for Egypt, scoring 54 goals and providing 32 assists in 96 caps. He has scored seven goals in 19 AFCON appearances, although he has never won the tournament; with him in the team, Egypt finished as runners-up in both 2017 and 2021.
WHAT NEXT FOR EGYPT?
Egypt will play Cape Verde on Monday, and a win would guarantee their qualification for the knockout stages. Cape Verde have won their two opening games, beating Ghana 2-1 and Mozambique 3-0, with ex-Manchester United flop Bebe scoring an outrageous long-range free-kick in the latter.